Brown signs ‘Hound Bill'

Monday

Oct 1, 2012 at 11:24 AMOct 1, 2012 at 11:28 AM

John Bowman

Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed SB 1221 into law creating a ban on the practice of using dogs to hunt bear and bobcat in California.The bill, authored by Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), has invigorated the battle between animal rights advocates and hunters since it was first introduced in February.Houndsmen and women across the state have been working since early in the year to rally opposition to the bill and groups of anti-1221 protestors have demonstrated in the state capital at each stage of the bill’s progression through the legislature.The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors sent letters to legislators and some traveled to Sacramento to register their opposition to the bill. Several supervisors as well as county Natural Resource Policy Specialist, Ric Costales, have said that the use of dogs is essential to the states ability to control bear populations.Lieu said in a press release, “I applaud Gov. Brown for signing this measure that will protect dogs, bears, bobcats and other wildlife. There is nothing sporting in shooting an exhausted bear clinging to a tree limb or a cornered bobcat.”One of the bill’s biggest supporters, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), released a statement last week in anticipation of a rally planned in the capitol to oppose the bill.“Hounding isn’t sport. Hounding isn’t hunting. There is no doubt that most Californians want it ended – and now is a good time for voters to call and remind Gov. Brown to stand up for the welfare of wildlife and dogs first by signing Senate Bill 1221,” said Jennifer Fearing, California senior state director of the HSUS.Many hunters say that in addition to the assistance houndsmen give to management of the state’s bear populations, the practice provides much needed economic activity to rural areas already suffering from the current state of the economy.Chester Harris spoke to the board of supervisors back in April on behalf of the Siskiyou Houndsmen.“The impact of this bill would be far reaching,” he said. “It would touch every county in the state.”Harris said bear hunters usually spend as much as $2,000 per season on fuel alone. He said that doesn’t include money spent throughout the year on veterinary bills, vehicle maintenance, restaurants and hotels.“Our founding fathers used hounds to bring home the bacon, so to speak. It’s a part of American heritage,” he told the board.Many hunters have also expressed concern about the fate of the hounds. Some hunters with smaller packs have said they will keep their dogs as pets but others with larger packs have indicated, in some cases, they may have to take their hounds to shelters or euthanize them.Jason and Kelsey Nelson are houndsmen and run JK Guide Service. They own 13 trained hunting hounds. Jason told the Daily News he’ll have to take most of his dogs to a shelter.“I’ll keep the older ones as pets, but you just can’t keep that many dogs. They need to run,” Nelson said.Rescue Ranch on Oberlin Road near Yreka is a no-kill dog shelter working to find homes for unwanted dogs.Rescue Ranch staff said they fear some houndsmen will just set their hounds free rather than bringing them to shelters. They said they have received three hounds in the past few month that were picked up wandering free after being set loose by their owners.Emily Gaydos, behavior program coordinator for the Mount Shasta Humane Society shelter said they have already received one litter of hound puppies that had been bred for sale as hunting dogs. Now that SB 1221 has become law, the breeders realized there was no market for the puppies and had to give them up.Gaydos says she hopes breeders will realize the reality of hunting hounds has changed and stop breeding them for sale within the state. She added that the Mount Shasta shelter has a limited intake procedure and accepts animals by appointment only. Animals must also pass a screening process to determine adoptability.Regardless of their limited ability to take animals, Gaydos encourages those who cannot keep their hounds to be responsible and humane when relocating their animals. She says her shelter will not be able to handle many new animals due to very limited space but owners should at least try before resorting to other less reliable relocation methods and should never set their dogs free to fend for themselves.